UFCW Names Esther López New International Secretary-Treasurer

UFCW President Perrone Highlights Historic Announcement as Part of
UFCW’s Commitment to Building a Diverse and Strong Union Family

PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) International
Executive Board elected Esther López as the new International
Secretary-Treasurer. The historic announcement reflects the commitment
by the UFCW, as the largest private sector union with 1.3 million
members, to building a diverse and strong union family.

Esther López is a leading champion of hard-working men and women, and
has worked tirelessly for decades on behalf of immigrants and all
families seeking a better life. López has helped lead the UFCW’s
groundbreaking outreach effort to the Latino and immigrant communities,
and is recognized as a national leader in the areas of immigration
reform, as well as civil, human, and labor rights.

“To become a better and stronger union family, I have been absolutely
committed to building a diverse and inclusive union. It is why I’m so
proud to announce that the UFCW International Executive Board elected
Esther López as our union family’s new International
Secretary-Treasurer. Esther is a tireless advocate for the rights of all
hard-working men and women. Esther believes, as I do, that our nation’s
diversity is our strength, that we must grow our union family, and that
by working together we will provide a better life to all our incredible
members,” said Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food
& Commercial Workers Union.

In accepting her position, López said:

“I am truly honored to be elected as the International
Secretary-Treasurer. This union and our members are my family. Doing
everything I can to improve the lives of hard-working families, and
provide them with the better life they’ve earned, has been my life’s
mission. It is why the UFCW’s commitment to building a stronger and more
diverse union family is so important. It inspires me to never stop
fighting to better the lives of our members, and those who deserve to be
our members. Under Marc’s leadership, and as part of this incredible
UFCW team, I’m more optimistic than ever about the future of our great
union family.”

Throughout her career, López has been a champion of the rights of all
workers – regardless of where they come from or where they were born. To
help provide hope to immigrant workers, López launched a groundbreaking
program to ensure eligible UFCW members were first in line to apply for
citizenship. Prior to that, she spearheaded the Union Citizenship Action
Network, also known as UCAN, to help UFCW members become naturalized and
get on the path to citizenship. López was the lead staff person on the
UFCW Commission on ICE Enforcement that highlighted civil rights abuses
in the 2006 Swift raids. All along, López has never lost focus on the
broader goal of giving aspiring Americans the chance to become citizens
and ensuring all workers and their families are protected from
exploitation.

López began with the UFCW in November 2006 when she was hired as
Director of the Civil Rights and Community Action Department. In that
role, she has helped put the UFCW on the front lines of the most crucial
civil rights battles of our time—fighting back against voter
suppression, working to end exploitation of refugees from countries like
Burma, Sudan and Somalia, creating more opportunities for women, and
expanding LGBT equality.

Prior to her career at the UFCW, López played an active role in
improving labor conditions within the state of Illinois, serving as
Deputy Chief of Staff for Labor, as well as in the governor’s cabinet as
Director of the Illinois Department of Labor.